


The Shell

by lymphs



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Carapace, DJWifi, F/M, Gen, Light Angst, Miraculous Holders, Turtle Miraculous, guard change
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-08
Updated: 2018-09-08
Packaged: 2019-07-08 13:50:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15931733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lymphs/pseuds/lymphs
Summary: Having superhero friends and girlfriend isn't the most pleasant thing in the earth. Especially, when you even don't know about it. But when Ladybug, Cat Noir and Rena Rouge are needed to save Paris once again, Nino has his own demon to face.





	The Shell

**Author's Note:**

> Guys, believe me or not, but i started writing this before Anansi trailer.
> 
> (and i'm so sorry for mistakes, i tried to publish it before Anansi airing, so i hadn't have enough time for revision. please, don't kill me)

It supposed to be a really nice evening. A movie in a cinema, ice creams at André’s, long walk on les Champs _Élysées_ , truly lovely double-date.

Oh, yes. If only Adrien could admit it. His “she’s just a friend” starts getting him bored. _“But okay, one day he’ll understand”_.

So… Where were they? Yess, good entertainment, delicious food, sunset, his two friends slowly falling for each other, girlfriend in his arm. What would destroy such perfect moment… At first, they all was walking arm by arm, but at some point Alya winked at him, so they both started making bigger steps and focused on their own private contestation to give Adrien and Marinette more space. Mari must have noticed what they were planning, as she blushed, but said nothing. She just made an eye contact with them and sent a little smile like she wanted to thank. Adrien, of course, didn’t notice anything. _“Darn… He’s so smart, but so dumb at the same_ _time_ _.”_

A shadow come out of nowhere and something huge flew above their heads.

“I’ll find you, Chloé Bourgeois! I’ll find you and I’ll learn you being humble!” The kite, which was used as flying surfing desk, stopped immediately and akumatized person who rode it looked at Adrien, frowned and added calmly “Adrien… What are you doing here… Your father is worried. You’re grounded, aren’t you?” and just flew away.

“What the earth…?!” Adrien was dumbfounded. “Vincent?! I can’t believe this! Ugh, I’m so sorry, guys… I guess… I guess I need to go! Bye!”

_“Wait… He’s grounded and joined in our unofficial double-date anyway? Maybe he’s not that stupid as I thought.”_

Nino noticed Adrien wasn’t running to his home but rather in a quite opposite direction – the Grand Paris Hotel direction – but before he said that, Marinette babbled “Uh, yes, guys, I think we should do the same thing. Come back home. Or hide somewhere at least. There! Nino, Alya, hide between those buildings! I’ll go in the other way!”

“But, Marinette… We all should go back home! And you’re following Adrien! It’s really not the best idea at this moment!” Nino yelled. A second after that something exploded not so far away from them and they could hear Cat Noir’s shout.

“There’s no time! Fast, Nino, please!” Mari screamed during the run and after few seconds she was out of sight.

“Dude… She’s so… tough sometimes… Okay, Alya?” he grabbed her hand. “We need to get out of here. Let’s go!” Nino wanted to go to that Marinette’s hiding place, but Alya resisted and take her phone out of her bag.

“Uh-uh. Ladybug will surely appear nearby. I must be there!”

“No!” he squeezed her hand harder. “Alya! It’s dangerous! I don’t let you go there!”

“Excuse me, Nino!” She quickly snatched her hands form his grasp. “You’re not the one who decide about that” She must have realized she was a bit too hursh, as she added “I’m sorry. I know it’s sound crazy, but I feel Ladybug and Cat Noir will need me… I need to go. Don’t be mad. And stay safe! Hide somewhere!” She kissed him and left him alone in the middle of the avanue.

“Uh! I can’t believe it!” Nino kicked a tiny rock laying on a sidewalk. “She’s soo… ugh… so tough. I wonder who learnt that from who. And how it’s even possible they’re all gone now?!” he was so angry, he didn’t care about the akuma anymore and just sat on the middle of the alley.

“Everything’s right, my boy? Is there anything I can do for you?” The old man with red shirt in hawaiian flowers, and a walking stick looked familiar to Nino, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen him before.

“Nothing is right, sir. But I’m afraid you can’t help me.” Nino stood up and dusted himself off. “Oh, and please, you should leave this place. There’s the akuma few streets from here. And our ‘great’…” he used air quotes “…superheroes are there as well and I’m not quite sure what’s worse. But surely it’s not safe.” He caught man’s arm and pushed him gently away from the battlefield.

“Sometimes, young man, all you need is someone who would listen to you, not necessarily make any move.” The man let him lead. “So? Would you share your problems with me? I’m just an old man, but I’ve seen different things in my life, maybe I know the solution?”

“I really doubt it.  But… You see…” Nino didn’t walk a long distance, as the grandpa looked tired and needed to sit down on the nearest bench. There was nothing he could do but sit next to him. “My girlfriend… She’s truly amazing. Incredible. Brave, smart, determined. I know you might think we’re quite too young for such words, but I really love her. But she’s so obsessed with Ladybug and Cat Noir… She’s the one who writes the Ladyblog.” The man nodded, but Nino wasn’t sure if he knew what that meant. “And I truly want to support her, but in situations like that… She completely ignores danger and always runs just into the eye of the storm. And there’s nothing I can do. It’s so frustrating.”

“You want to protect her, I see…”

“No.” the answer surprised them both, but Nino continued “It’s not enough. I want to save her every time Ladybug and Cat Noir screw up. Once… You see, once she almost died. If Ladybug had come up with her idea a few seconds later, Alya would be sacrificed. And I wasn’t there for her. I know we weren’t a couple at that time, but… It’s totally not an excuse. I should have been there. I should have saved her. I can’t forgive myself I couldn’t help her then and now I’m doing the same darn thing. I can’t believe this.” His eyes were full of tears, but he didn’t let any of them fall. “I wish I could always guard her. Be a shield for her. Or more like an armour taking every shot, every hit that could hurt her. A shell, where she can hide every time when something goes wrong.”

“Here. Take this.” Man unhooked something from his wrist and gave it to Nino. “Wear it and run.”

“Wha-what?! What is that?!” The elder surprised him, so he blinked causing tears making a stream on his cheeks. “Is that? A bracelet? With… Turtle shell?”

“Carapace. It’s called a carapace.”

“Why are you giving me this?”

“There’s no time. Wear it and go, save your girlfriend. She will need you.” Nino was shocked but pinned the brancelet and started to run following the same track as Alya did a few minutes ago. “Paris will need you.”


End file.
